A/N: since I took so long with the last chapter I figured I whip this one out as soon as possbile to make up for the time I took. Thank you for your reviews…I loved the latest ones and you guys guessed it right. :)
Chapter 8
A mother's daughter
In another area of Konoha, Tsunade was walking down the street towards one of her favorite places in the village. Gambler's Heaven: Konoha's most popular casino with Tsunade being one of its regulars, and of course, one of the casino's favorites due to the fact that she always goes broke when she gambles.
In order to keep her coming; the casino graciously offered that as long as they are allowed to stay in business she could take as long as she wants to repay all of her debts she owes them. In an hour she was going to have a meeting with her so-called advisers regarding the treaty.
With all of the surprise she has faced today the Hokage decided a short game of shots would ease her stress. Tsunade was about to walk in when she saw a middle-aged man with a beard wearing respectable clothing on his knees crying. Tsunade recognized him as the owner of the casino.
"What's wrong?"
"Oh Lady Tsunade thank god you are here…its terrible!" The man said as he continued to sob. She grabbed onto the woman's feet as he begged "I am losing money with every second that little girl is in there!"
"Little girl…I thought the legal age to gamble in your place was 21 and up?" Tsunade asked as she cocked an eyebrow.
"At first she came in here as an old woman, but when she was wining non-stop we tried to ask her to leave. But she broke the arms and legs of my boys when we tried to remove her. After that she assumed her true form…so please lady Tsunade if you stop her and make her give back all she won we'll consider your debt repaid and we'll even extend you some credit." The man begged as his eyes were streaming with tears.
"Alright I'll take care of this problem, but let go of me first!" Tsunade said as she shook the man off her legs. The man eventually let go before Tsunade walked into the casino…it didn't take her long to find the girl in question due mostly to the crowd that had formed around her.
"Look at her go." One onlooker said.
"Has this girl even lost anything yet?" Another person in the crowd said.
"Damn…she is only what…sixteen…fifteen?" A third asked.
Tsunade asked the crowd to let her pass until she was standing behind Sakiko who was playing and winning in a game of craps.
"Come on sevens!" The girl shouted happily as she was virtually surrounded by tall towers of chips. Sakiko allowed the dice to roll and sure enough she got sevens. "I win!"
"Holy shit!" The man who ran the table said.
"She wins again!" One of the onlookers said.
Tsunade was wide-eyed at this woman's winning streak, but it was time for her to stop otherwise she might force one of her favorite casinos to close down. The Hokage began tapping the young woman's shoulder.
"What do you want?" Sakiko snapped.
"Aren't you a little young to be gambling?"
"Oh please…you're just jealous that a little girl can gamble better than you…old hag."
That remark hit a sore spot as Tsunade was about to rip the girl from her seat, but in a surprising turn of events Sakiko grabbed Tsunade's hand and flipped her over her shoulder and slammed her back first on the table. Everyone backed away in surprise as cards and chips were sent flying.
Tsunade was surprised…she didn't think the girl had the same superhuman strength as she Sakura possess.
"Well, well, well if it isn't Konoha's Legendary Sucker and resident old hag." Sakiko said as her voice was filled with venom.
"Stop calling me old hag!" Tsunade snapped as she kicked Sakiko in the face. The kick sent Sakiko flying into the air and eventually out the doors.
As the young woman picked herself up and dusted herself off Tsunade stormed out of the building while near by the owner was on his knees with a smile on his face. He was happy that Tsunade had put an end to the girl's winning streak. The blow Sakiko took to her face was enough to break the sunglasses she was wearing.
"Listen here little girl I am already in a bad mood as it is. Calling me an old hag isn't a very smart thing for you to do right now?"
"Oh and why is that?" Sakiko snapped as she glared at Tsunade whose eyes met with hers. Tsunade was taken back when she looked at the young woman's face and her eyes. Sakiko's eyes were light brown, but they were snake-like…just like her father's eyes. Her face however had a striking resemblance to Tsunade's own face.
Tsunade was taken back by the woman's appearance: who appeared to be a near mirror image of how she looked when she was round the young woman's same age.
"What's wrong…is it the resemblance we share…mother!" Sakiko snapped as her eyes glared upon the Hokage filled with nothing but hate.
Tsunade was speechless, she wanted to deny such a claim, but the resemblance between them was something she couldn't ignore.
"But how? I don't recall having a child?"
"Oh don't tell me you don't remember. What my father told me was that after your boyfriend Dan died he came across you in a bar literally drinking yourself to death. You were so drunk that daddy had to carry you home since he couldn't have you tarnish the reputation of the Sannin and his own by doing that to yourself. I suppose you were so ashamed of yourself for what happened afterwards that you tried so hard to forget."
Tsunade was paralyzed by the revelation at the same time she did recall those events as those memories resurfaced in her mind.
"At last after seventeen years I can finally have justice." Sakiko declared, as she looked skyward with her head titled back as she opened her mouth to allow a snake to poke its head out. Its jaws opened up and the Sword of Kusanagi emerged. It fell into Sakiko's left hand before raising the blade and pointing it at Tsunade's neck.
"Wait!" Tsunade said, but Sakiko charged ready to cleave her mother's head off. However a cloud of smoke appeared in-between the two women as Sakiko stopped in her tracks. A large toad with red and black spots on its skin wearing a bedded necklace had appeared in front of them.
On top of the toad was Jiraiya who looked at Sakiko asking "Alright that's enough ladies."
"So Jiraiya has come to rescue his dear Tsunade...you should have let me kill this bitch." Sakiko mocked.
"Really…I think you forgot that your village leader is here with the leader of the Hidden Mist Village to discuss a treaty of alliance. I doubt your leader would want that ruined by the Hokage's death."
Sakiko was still enraged, but she lowered the blade as it transformed into a snake and disappeared up her sleeve.
"Fine I'll spare her worthless life for now, but only if you" Sakiko reached into her robe to pull something out. She handed Jiraiya a pair of book with the first titled Make-Out Paradise while the second book was titled Make-Out Tactics. "Autograph these books for me!"
"What?" Jiraiya asked as he was wide eyed at the request. "Are those books someone else's or yours?"
"Well mines of course…oh and I need to tell Kikoshi to see you so he can get his signed too."
"You guys read these, but hold on a sec you two are at least a year below the age limit."
"And your point is…if you don't want me to attempt to take her life then sign and I'll go away happily." Sakiko said with a cheerful expression.
Wishing to avoid any violence Jiraiya compiled with the woman's request and autographed the books. "Thank you so much Jiraiya-sama!" With those words Sakiko happily skipped away with a smile while hugging the books in her arms.
"Are you alright?" Jiraiya asked as he turned to Tsunade offering his hand.
Ignoring his hand Tsunade got back to her feet without his help with a look of sadness on her face. "I am not injured, but I am a long way from ok."
Jiraiya gestured for the woman to come with him as the two walked off.
Meanwhile back at the Nakano River: Hiashi, Maya and Kikoshi were having a family reunion of shorts. Kikoshi was glaring at his father while Maya was standing near the two of them with a small grin on his face.
"So you're the man I would have called father if he was one. But instead he was going to have me placed with the slaves of the branch family instead of taking my rightful place as heir to the clan as your son. You know that rightfully belongs to me."
"Kikoshi you must understand that I wasn't leader of the Clan yet and the elders of the clan refused to allow a child who was convinced between a main family and branch family member to be allowed into the main family…let alone become heir. Even if we were married it was impossible." Hiashi explained.
"Really now…looks to me you love your pureblood wife and two pure blood kids over your own first born and a woman you loved. I understand you never truly loved the woman who was arranged by the main family to be your wife. But still like a heartless bastard you still went along with it breaking my mother's heart."
Hiashi was saddened by the remark as Kikoshi continued to speak his mind.
"My body on the other hand received alterations before I was even born. Did you think I received this albino appearance naturally?" Kikoshi commented as he looked down at his hands.
"Alterations?"
"Yes Hiashi…you see my mother was experimented on by Orochimaru a short time before I was born my body was integrated with the power of the white snake. Thus I can regenerate and heal myself at eighty-seven times faster than the avenger human. Light wounds I can heal myself almost instantly. As a result of the manipulation done to my unborn body we discovered that I gained some inhuman abilities with some stronger than average strength and agility."
"Maya you allowed Orochimaru to experiment on your own body before Kikoshi was born?" Hiashi said, as he was angered and distressed over his former lover's actions.
"I only did so because I wanted my son to be all he could be. I wanted him to be the strongest shinobi on this planet. All the data of Orochimaru's experiments we had I used to enhance Kikoshi using the powers and abilities the white snake offered. Including the curse seal of heaven, which my son was born with; only his is more of the real thing...a prototype curse mark if you will." Maya paused for a moment to take note of Hiashi's expression.
"Unlike Sasuke's mark which can be considered a mass production version which is slightly weaker than the one Kikoshi has. This is because since he was born with the curse mark he was able to draw on its full power and use abilities much like the one Juugo has. Juugo in his second stage form can alter his arms and different areas of his body with wings, arm blades and etc…these abilities my son gained while Sasuke and his curse seal has him limited to using his wings to fly or to use them as extra hangs. It was thanks to that Kikoshi's birth made the finalized enzyme product which lead to the creation of the other curse seals possible."
"So from this Juugo to which Kikoshi received the first Curse Mark was the curse seal created. I thought Anko was the first to receive it?"
"Yes and no…she was the first to receive the completed product without having to be born with it. Officially Anko was the first to receive the finished Curse Seal of Heaven, which was produced using completed Curse Seal that Kikoshi was born with. However the data from Kikoshi's birth did lead to the completion of another experiment Orochimaru was working on."
"Which experiment was that?"
"Developing the Immortality Jutsu."
"How did Kikoshi's birth lead to its creation?"
"A key to making the Immortality Jutsu work is to first allow the user's body to become modified with white snakes. By testing a similar process on Kikoshi we worked out a means of successfully integrating the white serpents into a person."
"So does this mean the body I am seeing now is not Kikoshi's?" Hiashi asked.
"No…his body is still his own, but…there was someone who needed to test the jutsu before Orochimaru used it."
Hiashi was unsure by what he meant as he looked at Maya. He remembered how beautiful she was…in fact her appearance was exactly the same as he remembered her. That was when a horrifying thought hit him…Kikoshi never tested out the Immortality Jutsu…it was.
"Maya…don't tell me you?"
The woman grinned as she raised one hand to her face and pulled the facemask she had been wearing revealing the face of a younger woman who was in her early twenties. She had the byakugan as well…or so it seemed. Maya began laughing as she answered, "Yes dear I used the Immortality Jutsu to steal the body of another. How did you think I escaped your curse mark jutsu? Even my byakugan carries over when I take a new host." Maya said as she spoke with the voice of another woman.
"You're…you're no longer human?"
"To tell you the true Hiashi I never truly intended to use the Immortality Jutsu…I used it out of necessity to save myself."
"What?"
"Those experiments I put my own body through to in an effort to make my son stronger did take their toll on me years later. I was dying so in order to survive I had to use the Immortality Jutsu to save my life."
"I can't believe you did that." A new voice came as a woman who was at least twenty-seven years age with purple hair wearing a khaki coat with shin guards on her legs.
"Well this day is just full of surprises. Anko Mitarashi I believe…Orochimaru's first student."
"You must be the albino kid I heard about from Tsunade."
"Yes I am."
"Before we continue; why don't we have another eavesdropper join us? You can come out from behind that tree Hinata."
Hiashi was a little surprised as over his shoulder to the left he saw Hinata approach the railing.
"You have been listening to us for quite a while…you now must be aware of our true relationship."
"Hinata I thought I told you to stay at home?" Hiashi snapped.
"Why leave her in the dark…she would have found out sooner or later." Kikoshi pointed out.
"Father I was worried about you…ever since I came back from that mission you been concerned."
"Be quiet!" Hiashi demanded.
"Now, now isn't that anyway to treat your oldest daughter?" Maya said with a shy smile.
"I guess that proves how cruel and heartless you really are." Kikoshi mocked.
"Hey that's enough!" Anko shouted.
"I agree…I grow weary of this conversation. Mother if you have no objections I will retire for the day to my hotel room."
"Go ahead dear." Maya said as she placed the face of her old body back on her face. "Much better…come to think of it I too will leave. It's been good seeing you again Hiashi" Maya brought her hands together before disappearing leaving only a puff of smoke.
Without a word Hiashi turned around and walked away while Anko made no effort to stop him. Hinata stood silently for a moment before she called "father wait." Hiashi continued walking ignoring his daughter completely. Anko leapt up onto the sidewalk and walked up to the young Hyuga girl.
"I think you should leave your dad alone for awhile. He wasn't attacked by those two, but that encounter really has him hurting I imagine."
"I wish there was something I could do for my father."
"I understand, but there are just some times when people are better left alone. Talking with him about it may not help him right now. Learning he had a son with that woman who was raised into a real piece of work by Orochimaru is news that would wreck anyone's day."
"I guess so, but I wish there was something I could do."
"At this point there isn't much."
"Kikoshi's charka…I saw it on our way back to Konoha. It was filled with malice towards me and anyone who is a member of the main family."
"So?"
"I know I'll probably have to face him so," Hinata said as she looked at Anko. "He said you were Orochimaru's first student and he was his second?"
"Yeah…what exactly are you getting at?" Anko asked as she was rubbing the back of her head.
"Could you take me as your apprentice?"
"WHAT?" Anko said as her eyes went wide at the request.
A/N: I was debating over if I would throw in that Kikoshi was born with curse mark and he had his body integrated with the power of the white serpent (explaining his albino appearance), but I figured heck why not. If it doesn't work out I can always edit that part out . Anyway further details on Sakiko's birth will be explained while bringing together Kikoshi and Sakiko's stories. Sasuke and co will make an appearance next chapter along with Akatsuki. As promised there is Naruto and Hinata fluff coming up, but if Anko takes Hinata under her wing, which will lead to trouble and hard-core training exercises. lol
